Eureka Splits, Picks Up First Sweep Over Principia
EUREKA – Eureka split a pair of matches on a full day of volleyball at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center.
The Red Devils picked up their first sweep of the season on Saturday afternoon, taking down Principia, 25-17, 25-17, 25-14.
Then, later that evening, the maroon and gold fell in four against a formidable Illinois Tech squad that rolled Principia in between EC's two matches. The final score was 25-23, 20-25, 25-15, 25-15.
Corinne DeBoard (Centralia, Ill./Christ Our Rock Lutheran) notched eight kills while hitting a team-best .333. Regan Reed (Flanagan, Ill./Flanagan-Cornell) and Brooklyn Shell (Evansville, Ind./Mount Vernon) each contributed six kills, and Katelin Peters (New Berlin, Ill./New Berlin) added five.
Setter Faith Catour (Orion, Ill./Orion) distributed 22 assists, and libero Jordyn Fox (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac) posted a team-high 10 digs.
The Red Devils closed the Panthers out strong in the first set. After staying close early on, EC pulled away with an 8-3 run. DeBoard put down the set-clincher to give EC a 1-0 lead.
In the second set, EC took control midway through with a 5-0 run while Alyvia Gannon (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln) was at the service line.
Shell had two kills during the run, while DeBoard and Megan Masching (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac) each had one. DeBoard's gave Eureka a 10-point cushion at 18-8. Principia never came closer than seven the rest of the set.
The Red Devils followed a similar pattern in the final set. Another Gannon run at the service line resulted in a 5-0 run that made it 19-11. EC closed it by claiming the final six points.
In the second match of the day, Shell notched 13 kills while hitting .216. DeBoard was right behind her with 12 kills while hitting .235.
Catour spread the ball around for 28 assists, and Peters tallied five kills. She and DeBoard each contributed a solo block.
Reed led the team in digs with 17, while Fox followed with 13.
Eureka will next head to Greenville for a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
